8/29/12 12:04 PM EDT

We posted yesterday on a Todd Akin Web video aimed at moving the focus off the Missouri Senate race back to Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. Now, the GOP congressman is putting that message on the air with a new statewide ad that contrasts Akin's "six-second mistake" with McCaskill's "six-year record" in Washington.

The ad, which was shared early with POLITICO, features Akin speaking to the camera and going after McCaskill's votes in the Senate. The Republican's last ad was also direct-to-camera — an apology for his comments about abortion and rape.

This time, he's not asking for forgiveness but making the case against his opponent.

"My six-second mistake is well known. But Claire McCaskill’s six-year record is something you should know," Akin says. "McCaskill voted with Obama 98 percent of the time. She cast the deciding vote to pass Obamacare, which cuts Medicare by over $700 billion. She voted for Obama’s budget-busting stimulus spending and raised our taxes but didn’t pay her own."

He closes: "What’s this election about? Saving our country."

We've written it before and we'll write it again: this is the play Akin has to run if he's going to stay in the Senate campaign. If it's possible to make the race about McCaskill and her record, then Akin can be competitive. If the focus stays on Akin and his comments, then it gets much, much harder to defeat an incumbent who's highly vulnerable.

UPDATE: McCaskill spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki responded to the ad in a statement listing the senator's standard attack lines against Akin. "None of the spin from Todd Akin will change the fact that he's simply too far out of the mainstream," she said. "Todd Akin would privatize Social Security and Medicare, end federal student loans, and get rid of the minimum wage. Ranked the most moderate US Senator, Claire has forged compromises between parties to protect these important safety nets for Missouri families because, first and foremost, she's on our side."